One Morning
by FreyOfDavis
Summary: Starfire has a secret, and the revelation will change the Teen Titans forever. PG for implied sex. RobStar. COMPLETE.


I had trouble uploading this the first time, but hopefully I've got the hang of it now. Please read & review!

Obligatory disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.

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One Morning  
  
The Teen Titans were at breakfast. Cyborg and Beastboy were attacking their omelets with gusto, while Raven sipped her herbal tea silently. Robin also had an omelet in front of him, but only picked at it, his mind elsewhere. Beastboy noticed the absence of one Titan and stopped eating. "Say, where's Starfire this morning? It's not like her to miss breakfast." Robin looked up and said, "I stopped by her room before coming down, but she told me to go away."  
Cyborg stopped his omelet-laden fork in midair. "Go away? Starfire said that?"  
Robin nodded. "Exact words."  
Cyborg put his fork down. "Man, she has been acting strange lately. First she starts going out on her own and acts all secretive about it. Then about a week ago, she gets totally distracted, and now she's downright moody!"  
"Sure doesn't sound like our Starfire," said Beastboy.  
Raven spoke up. "She just wants to be alone. It's not a big deal."  
Robin suddenly stood up. "It is for her. Something's wrong. And I'm going to find out what." He started towards the stairs.  
Cyborg called to him, "Whoa, man, she's not going to talk to you now if she didn't want to talk to you before. Somebody else should see her."  
Beastboy spoke up. "Yeah, somebody who she trusts enough to open up to and who's good at figuring out what's really happening with her."  
All eyes turned to Raven. She noticed them, sighed inwardly, and finished her tea.  
  
Raven knocked on Starfire's door. "Go away, please," came the answer.  
"Starfire, it's me."  
"Raven?" There was a pause. "Are you alone?"  
"It's just me. Can I come in?"  
"Yes, certainly. Come in."  
When Raven entered, she found Starfire dressed for the day, but sitting on her bed against the headboard with her arms around her knees. In the dark. _Maybe Robin was right_, thought Raven. _This really isn't like her_. "We were a little worried when you didn't come down for breakfast. Are you all right?"  
"Friend Raven, I am not sure."  
Raven sat down at the other end of the bed. "Would you like to talk about it?"  
"You do not mind listening?"  
_Hell yes, I mind! I hate this touchy feely stuff!_ Raven suppressed the thought, and said what her friend needed to hear. "You can talk to me."  
"Raven," Starfire began, looking down at her feet, "I have a problem."  
  
When Starfire was finished, Raven was openly surprised at what she'd heard. "Whoa," she said, not knowing what else to say. "That certainly does explain a lot."  
"Raven, what should I do?"  
"I don't know, Star. I'm no expert on a subject like this."  
"I am thinking of returning to Tamaran."  
"If you think that's best. Don't you think the others should know?"  
"Oh, I could not tell them. I do not know how they would react."  
"They'd support you, just like I do. You're our friend, and . . . you mean a lot to us."  
Starfire smiled at Raven, knowing that wasn't an easy thing for her friend to say. "I am uncertain."  
"Well, you should at least tell Robin before doing anything."  
Starfire shook her head vigorously. "Oh, I could not tell Robin!"  
"It's not my business, but I think you should. One, because he's the leader of this team, and whatever effects you effects the team. Two, because you and he are, well, special. He deserves to know."  
Starfire still hesitated. Raven said, "Look, I'll go and send him up. If you still don't want to talk to him, you can tell him to go away again." Raven went to the door and opened it to leave. She turned back with a reassuring smile and said, "Don't worry, Starfire. It'll be OK." The door closed and Raven headed downstairs.  
  
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Robin stood at Starfire's door. "Well, here goes," he said to himself, and knocked.  
There was no answer, and Robin knocked again.  
"Robin?"  
"Yes, Starfire, it's Robin. Raven said you might want to see me?"  
There was no answer for what seemed like a long time. Robin was just about to speak again when he heard Starfire say, "You may come in."  
Robin came in and noticed the darkened condition of the room. "Mind if I let a little light in?"  
Starfire was still sitting against the headboard, an uncharacteristically sad expression on her face. "Go ahead. I am sorry my room does not have the usual illumination."  
Robin opened the blinds. When they first moved in to the Tower, Starfire had been very particular about getting a room with big windows that faced the rising sun. Sunlight lit up the room, revealing stuffed animals, books about various Earth cultures, and hundreds of photos, of herself and the Teen Titans on various outings. Robin smiled at the memories they brought back. Then he looked at Starfire and his smile faded.  
Starfire looked at him. "Robin," she began, "I am sorry I sent you away before. I have . . . had a lot of things on my mind."  
"It's OK, Starfire." Robin sat on the bed next to her. "What's wrong?"  
"Robin, I . . . Well, I am . . . I mean that . . ." Starfire looked down again. "This is not easy for me to talk about."  
Robin had a gentle smile on his face. "It's OK, Star. I'm here all day."  
Starfire looked at Robin. She had always loved that smile. It made her feel safe and loved. "Robin, I am pregnant."  
"What? How?"  
Starfire looked at her feet. "Well, the usual way, if I am not mistaken about Earth customs."  
"But we never . . ." Realization dawned on Robin. "Oh. I see." He started to rise when Starfire put her hand on his arm.  
"Robin, please do not leave." Starfire took a deep breath, afraid of what Robin thought of her, but relieved to be finally telling him. "I will explain from the beginning.  
"It started about a month ago. Cyborg had made some modifications to the T-car and took Raven and Beastboy out for a test drive. I stayed behind, thinking that you and I could do something together. But Slade was starting to become active again, and you were doing research. I did not wish to bother you. I did not want to hang around the Tower by myself, so I went downtown." Star smiled. "It was very nice. The air was warm, there were colored lights, and music played. I found one band, playing very lively music. I believe they called it, oh yes, 'jazz'. I enjoyed it very much. It was while listening to that band that I met Chad."  
"Chad," said Robin with a hard look in his eyes.  
Starfire was oblivious to Robin's tone of voice, and continued. "He was very sweet, and had the most beautiful blue eyes. We spent the rest of the evening together, dancing, walking, eating ice cream. We started seeing each other, eventually one thing led to another, and here we are."  
Starfire leaned forward to touch Robin's arm. "Robin, I am sorry. But I was lonely, and, I think, a little hurt. You were spending so much time on Slade. And Chad is truly a wonderful man."  
Robin was confused. "Wait a minute. You've been dating him for a month. How long have you been pregnant?"  
"About a week."  
"Well, you seem awfully certain. How could you know so early?"  
Starfire smiled at Robin as if to a small child. "Tamaranians are not like humans. When there is new life growing inside of us, we can feel it." Starfire looked down and placed her hands on her stomach.  
Robin looked at her hands. "Have you told 'Chad' yet?"  
Starfire raised her head and nodded. "I told him three days ago." Robin remembered her moodiness lately. "I take it things didn't go so well?"  
"He, well, I believe the term would be 'freaked out'. I have not talked to him since then."  
Robin's hard look returned and he stood up. "I might have guessed."  
"Robin, please. He was scared. Finding out you are going to be a parent is a frightening experience. Believe me." She looked down at her belly again. "I know." She looked up at Robin. "Once he gets used to the idea, he will come back. He loves me."  
"Do you love him?"  
Starfire wasn't expecting this question. "He is going to be the father of my child."  
Robin sat down and looked straight at Starfire. "That's not what I asked. Do you love him?"  
After a short pause, Starfire answered. "Yes, I do. Love him."  
Before Robin could respond, there came a knock at the door. "Yes?" answered Star.  
The door opened to reveal Cyborg. "Sorry to bother you guys, but Star, there's some guy here to see you. Says his name is Chad."  
  
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Chad was a sandy-haired teenager, about 18, wearing Levi's jeans and a blue jacket. He saw Cyborg coming back down.  
"OK, Chad. She's in her room. Go up the stairs, turn left, and it's the first door on the right.  
"Thanks." Chad went up the stairs, ignoring the looks from Raven, BB, and Cy. At the top of the stairs, he passed Robin. _So that's what he looks like_, thought Chad, _I know he's 16 at most, but he looks older somehow.  
_ Robin looked at Chad. _If Starfire needs me not to hate this guy, I'll try not to hate this guy. But it won't be easy.  
_ Chad found Starfire's door open. She was sitting on the bed, and rose to meet him. "Hey, Red," he said.  
Starfire beamed. "Chad." They embraced, and kissed.  
  
When Robin came down the stairs, Cyborg and Beastboy tried to engage him. "Yo, Robin, what's going on, huh?"  
Robin evaded them. "Not now," he said through clenched teeth as he headed towards the training room.  
The boys watched him leave, then turned on Raven. "All right, Rae," Cyborg began, "What's happening here? Is Starfire OK?"  
"Starfire is fine. More than that, I can't tell you."  
"Hey, c'mon," said Beastboy. "Am I going to have to do the face? You know you can't resist the face." Beastboy disappeared, and in his place sat a little green kitten gazing up at Raven. It meowed softly.  
Raven picked the kitten up by the back of the neck and brought it up to eye level. "Starfire can't resist the face. I can," she said.  
Beastboy reappeared, with Raven's hand still gripping the back of his neck. "Heh, oh, yeah," he said sheepishly.  
Raven released BB. "Look," she explained, "I know you're both concerned. But it's really Starfire's business, and it's her decision if and when to tell you, not mine"  
Beastboy and Cyborg looked at each other. They had known Raven long enough to know that that was that.  
  
Back in Starfire's room, Chad and Starfire were sitting on her bed. Chad spoke. "So, what do you want to do?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean, how do you want to handle this?"  
Starfire was confused. "Handle this? I do not understand."  
Chad looked uncomfortable. "Well, do you want to get an abortion?" Seeing Starfire's look, he continued, "I mean, I'll go with you, of course. I'll pay for it, no problem. It'll be OK."  
Starfire bit her lip. "I cannot," she said softly.  
"Hey, that's fine. You want to give it up for adoption."  
Starfire glared at Chad. "I do not want to 'give it up' at all! This is my child!"  
"Star, come on. We have to be realistic about this."  
"Chad, I know you are scared. I am scared as well. This wasn't the way I was planning to have a baby, but this is the way it is. I could not leave him. I'm keeping this child."  
Chad exhaled slowly. "OK. In that case, I guess I'm with you." He hugged Starfire tightly.  
Starfire returned the hug. "Thank you, Chad."  
Chad drew back to look at her. "So, what are Tamaranian children like? Do they get the 'terrible twos'"  
"They are not terrible. They start to fly when they are two years old, and they are very cute."  
Chad did a double take. "Fly?"  
"Yes. And they develop the ability to use starbolts at six years."  
  
Robin was in the training room, doing what he usually did when he was frustrated: taking it out on the heavy bag. He hit the bag, and hit it, and hit it, and finally felt a little better. He stopped, and wiped the sweat off his face with a towel. His attention was drawn by some sort of sound, and he went back to the common room. Chad was in the hallway.  
"I'm sorry, Star, I thought I could do this. I'm not ready for fatherhood! I can't deal with a child!"  
Chad ran down the stairs and towards the elevator to go down. Robin saw Starfire in the hall by the corner, looking like the world had just caved in on her. She turned and ran back to her room. Robin followed her.  
Beastboy and Cyborg were now figuring it out. "Fatherhood? Child?" They looked at Raven. "You mean he and Star . . .? And now he's . . ." They were silent as they looked at the closing elevator doors. "Dude," Beastboy said to Cyborg, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"  
Cyborg nodded. "Someone dies." He looked at Beastboy. "The roof. You can fly us down from there."  
They ran for the roof. Raven looked at the hallway for a moment, then followed Cy and BB. _Hopefully Robin can handle Star_, she thought, _This is critical_.  
  
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Chad made it down to ground level and he walked outside the Tower. Cyborg and Beastboy were waiting for him. Chad stopped in his tracks.  
Beastboy spoke in a level, stone-cold voice. "I don't normally eat meat." He transformed into a Tyrannosaurus. "But I've always wondered how it tastes."  
Chad ran. Beastboy caught him by his jacket and lifted him up. In his terror, Chad saw Cyborg, and something was happening to his right arm. It was changing somehow.  
Cyborg pointed his arm, now transformed into a plasma cannon, at Chad. "Right idea, BB. Wrong method." Cyborg grinned. "One blast will wipe him out with no trace. Like he was never here."  
Beastboy transformed into a gorilla, with his arms holding Chad tightly. "Tell you what, Cy. I'll throw him up. See if you can shoot him down." Beastboy threw Chad, screaming, into the air.  
"All right, you two. Stop it right now!" Raven floated down and raised a hand toward Cyborg and another toward Chad. Cyborg's cannon was immobilized in a sheet of black, and free-falling Chad was caught and brought safely to the ground.  
Once Chad was down, she protected him from Beastboy with a telekinetic shield. "This isn't the way we operate, so cut it out! We're protectors! We don't use people for target practice just because they piss us off!"  
Cyborg struggled against Raven's grip. "But Rae, it's Star we're talking about!"  
"I know. But that doesn't change anything." Raven shifted her gaze between Cyborg and Beastboy. "Stand down."  
Cyborg transformed his plasma cannon back into an arm as Raven released it, and Beastboy changed back to regular Beastboy, who said, "We weren't actually going to kill him. We were just going to scare the heck out of him." Raven looked at Chad. "Leave that to me," she said in a strange voice. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Chad was on the rocky ground, gasping for breath, oblivious to the Titans' conversation. "Thank you. Thank you. I thought I was—whooa!!" he said as Raven finished her incantation and he was wrapped up in telepathic energy. Raven, still levitating, brought him up so that they were nose-to-nose.  
Normally, Raven kept her demon side under tight control. This time, she let him out. Just a little.  
Chad couldn't see anything but Raven's glowing eyes, but he heard a horrible voice say quite clearly, "I suggest you do not return!"  
Chad thought he was looking into the face of the devil himself. "I'm sorry," he whispered.  
Raven grinned evilly. "I know," she said, and threw him far out, into the sea.  
Raven brought the demon back under control and floated down to the ground. Noticing BB and Cyborg looking at her, she said, "I only threw him 300 feet from shore. He can swim."  
  
Robin went to Starfire's room. She was inside, lying facedown on her bed, her body wracked with sobs. She hadn't bothered to close the door.  
Robin came in and sat on the bed. He didn't know what to say, but he spied a hairbrush on the dresser next to the bed. He took it and began gently brushing Starfire's hair.  
Starfire got her sobbing under control. "He does not love me."  
Robin was silent for a moment as he kept brushing. "Maybe he just doesn't love you quite enough."  
"Why? Why would he leave us?"  
"Don't ask me. I haven't the foggiest idea."  
Starfire sat up. "No, you do not. You are nothing like him. You are brave, and responsible, and caring."  
Robin put down the brush. "Star, I . . . Star, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't been so wrapped up in hunting Slade, none of this would have happened." He embraced Starfire, and leaned in so that their foreheads touched. "I can't change what happened, but maybe I can try to make up for it now. I can tell you what I should have told you a long time ago.  
"I love you, Star."  
"I love you, Robin."  
They kissed, gently, and kissed again. Then Starfire broke away.  
"What's wrong?"  
Starfire looked at Robin. "I could not ask you to help care for this child. If Chad could not –"  
Robin placed a finger over her mouth. "Don't worry about Chad, and don't worry about me." He placed a hand over Starfire's stomach. "This child is a part of you. And that means it's a part of me. I'm not going anywhere."  
The couple embraced again. And they stayed like that for a long time.  
  
The Titans' common room appeared normal. Raven was meditating. Cyborg was playing a video game, and Beastboy was washing the dishes from breakfast. However, Raven never meditated in the common room when the others were around, Cyborg was losing badly at his game, and it wasn't Beastboy's turn to do the dishes.  
When Starfire came down to the common room with Robin, everyone dropped what he or she was doing and came over. Raven spoke first. "Everything OK?"  
Starfire nodded happily. "Yes, it is."  
Beastboy spoke next. "Sooo, I hear we'll have a new Titan soon."  
"Yes. In about eight months."  
For a couple seconds, the Titans didn't say anything. Cyborg broke the silence. "Boo-yah! This is so cool! I'm going to teach him everything there is to know about cars!"  
"And I can teach him how to kick Cyborg's butt at video games!" said Beastboy.  
All eyes turned to Raven. "I'll be the maturing influence," she said in a deadpan tone, but with a slight smile on her face.  
Robin hugged Starfire with one arm and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "And I'll make sure his mother is never unhappy again."  
Starfire looked down at herself. The new Titan couldn't be seen yet, but she knew it was there. "And I will be strong for him," she vowed.

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This was inspired by a fan fic in which Raven gets pregnant, but she was married to Beastboy. I wondered what it would be like for one of Titans to be an unwed mother. Please don't be angry at me for ruining Star's innocence! Thanks for reading. And reviewing. (Please?)


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